Police dog, stormsewer dog, victim of robbery, waiting in shelters -- all needing some hearts to help...

Ah, the adventures continue. We’ve got a little/big starving dog that came up out of a storm sewer, some updates and what you might as well call a “police dog” because that’s who has been tending to the formerly free-roaming mix.
THE POLICE DOG: [PM UPDATE ON THE GOOD POLICE DOG: DAS reports that the dog is "currently under treatment for an upper respiratory infection. There was someone interested in adopting the dog, but it does not look like they came in when they had said they would." This may give room to a rescue group to save this dog and become the favorite rescue group of the South Central Police Station. This morning's story explains the dog's plight.]  Our pal Jonnie England, the veteran animal advocate and supporter of the Dallas Police, forwarded this to us. Maybe someone can help this dog.
The plea for some extra help came from Lt. Kimberly Stratman of the South Central station.
What’s the dog’s name? “He was called ‘7’ for our police channel number, ‘Taz’ short for Tazer, and ‘Lopy’ short for lopsided because his right ear flops down after he relaxes,” Lt. Stratman says.
Here’s her short version of the story, an attempt to make sure 7 gets out of the Dallas Animal Services shelter safely: “This cute fellow has been hanging out the DPD station in South Central Dallas for about a year.  He’s loved and cared for by the officers there, but recently developed an eye infection.  He was captured and taken to Dallas Animal Services, and now needs a forever home. He’s been there almost a week and according to staff ‘is running out of time.’  Please consider rescuing or adopting him. His ID number is A774876.”
For more information, contact Kimberly Stratman at  [email protected]. And, of course, you can contact [email protected].
[KEEP READING and you’ll see the rest of this story later in todays’ presentation. I just don’t want you to miss these other dogs that need help, too. We encourage thorough Readers at Readlarrypowell.com.]
THE DOG FROM THE STORM SEWER: Yes, that is where this dog came from. Where it went is Dallas Animal Services.
A Dallas resident was in one of those rush, rush moments to leave and get to work when she saw this dog coming out of a storm sewer in her apartment complex parking lot. The area, she says, “seems to attract a vast numbers of waifs and strays passing through or being dumped. We have dealt with 11 pups/dogs since September. Last week we were pleased to find shelter for two Chihuahuas with Animal Allies, who I approached regarding this pup.  They couldn't help, but have vowed to get her out if they can find a foster.
“This pup appeared up out of the stormwater conduit this afternoon.  She was a bag of bones, bloated belly, etc., obviously very hungry and tired but astonishing happy and trusting.  She's very sweet and till has adorable puppy traits.
“DAS said she was roughly three months old, and ‘a mix.’  I'm fairly sure she’s part Great Dane.
“This dog needs a home as she has the most adorable velvet nose, and one stroke of her large floppy ears will turn grown men into kittens.  (Although not the one who probably dumped her, alas).”
The rescuer says the dog’s DAS ID is A776330 and her review date is the 23rd.
She also apologized for the typing in her first note about the dog and explained, “I was typing one-handed due to the pup being asleep on my other arm.”
NOW this brings us to two other dogs with DAS ties. You may recall that on March 15 Readlarrypowell.com mentioned Lulabelle with the bad injury on her side and Tequila, a shy but loving mix.
DAS Rescue told us yesterday that Lulabelle was claimed by Paws In The City.
Tequila is still in the shelter but has been moved into adoptions to expose her to more people. She’s A771367. She’s a 3-year-old, 40-pound tailwagger who has been at the shelter since Feb. 21. 
Efforts are being made to save her life - and lives of the other DAS animals, too. Takes people on the “outside” looking in. Email [email protected] . See more DAS adoptables at www.dallasanimalservices.org.
THEN THERE’S MASON: Ann Ruiz sent us this note. She says her hubby told her “about a situation with a lady at his work. She was very distraught because of her ‘furbaby’ Mason. Mason is still pretty young, born on Aug. 13, 2011. Mason is basically Madeline’s family and all she has. Her house was broken into and Mason got out but was hit by a car. The vet who saw Mason says that he has a broken pelvis and surgery is needed. She cannot afford it and doesn’t know where to turn.”
To offer to help, email [email protected] or call 940-391-8215.
[Larry aside: We’re keeping the crime victim’s name out of this for now because, frankly, she’s got enough to deal with and doesn’t need idiot phone calls. You'd think there would be some way to help this dog get healthy without bankrupting a crime victim.] 
KCAAP LOOKING FOR STEWPOT VOLUNTEERS: Bonnie Hill, the president of the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project  is looking for volunteers for a special project on Saturday (March 23) at the Stewpot in downtown Dallas -- that’s  from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1835 Young Street. KCAAP is hosting a free vaccination, chipping flea prevention event.
“We are looking for volunteers to help us,” Bonnie says. “We will be passing out collars, leashes, trimming nails, applying flea prevention and setting up spay/neuter appointments.” To volunteer to help, email [email protected].
BAXTER AND THE MALL CHIHUAHUA AND A DOG ON A LIST: Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services, reported last night that “Baxter left the building! Thank you, Mazie’s Mission!” Baxter is the Lab who came in as a stray, then was surrendered by a tearful woman at her husband’s insistence. You can read about Mazie’s Mission HERE and check out more animals in the crowded Collin County shelter HERE. ... Yesterday we also reported on Tomi Jasso Ortiz’s efforts to find a place for a brown Chihuahua who was rescued after running into Irving Mall. Tomi reports, “Great news! My older brother Hector showed one of his co-workers Coco’s picture and he’s going to take him! He said his older son’s brown Chihuahua passed away a few months ago and Coco looks just like him. He’s willing to give him a good home. Thank God! ... In the meantime if someone out there has found a small brown male Chihuahua the lady in Irving is still missing her dog. She said the reason her’s didn’t have a collar is because she had bathed him and taken it off. L  Her’s is actually cat friendly, this one was not.” ...And from Arlington, Susan Tandukar, our tipster with the Partners of Arlington Animal Services, sent us a note about the “urgent” animals  featured on that collage we published yesterday. “Marley was EU’d,” she writes. “Jada and Dakota were rescued. Kelly and Chloe -- we are waiting on an update from the shelter.”  Scroll down to see the whole collage. This dog is Marley who, in this photo, appears to be an older dog. But such a face. Every now and then it is important for people to see that there are faces behind the numbers of animals killed in shelters. If you just count 'em as they're killed without realizing they are living beings, then you seriously need some counseling. And if you just kill them for being too old or too infirm or too unwanted, well, welcome to the Texas style of animal management: "Got an animal problem? Let's kill it."
ONE MORE DAS NOTE: These three dogs are left on the VSP -- Very Special Pet -- list at Dallas Animal Services. VSP means that they’ve been in the shelter a while and nobody has made an effort to adopt them. 
DAS Rescue sent out a note last night that reads, “We have 3 babies left that are needing out ASAP!  We had extended their due out date to 3/20/13 which is tomorrow! 
We love these girls sooo much that we are extending them one more time until Friday 3/22/13. They must be adopted or tagged by Friday!”
It is at this point that I will ask you, Dear Readers, to interpret the preferred DAS phrase “due out date” as you see fit under the circumstances. I suspect “due out date” at the shelter is not like “due out date” at the Adolphus or Fairmont or even at the Relax Inn. Know what I mean? It ain’t “Call the bellhop and get me to a cab before checkout time.”
Two ways to help these dogs escape the risk of a “due out date” -- email [email protected] and tag them or email [email protected] and adopt them.
[Larry aside: Or you could just get in the car and drive down to the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center at I-30 and Westmoreland and meet some animals and take one or two home. Save some lives. Do something good. It's up to you because the rest of us have already bagged the legal limit in Dallas.]
CONTEMPLATION:  Nobody tells the stories better than the people involved in them. That’s why God invented the quote marks. So, here’s the story of that police dog from the opening item today.
[LARRY ASIDE: Before we go any further let’s be reminded here of the great history the DPD has with dogs and cats -- runaway Lucy, the Duck Team 6/West Dallas dog, would still be running free and in danger if DPD officers hadn’t saved her. A few years ago when it came became desperately clear that the city needed to rebuild the integrity of Dallas Animal Services, the city turned to then-DPD Lt. Scott Walton (he’s deputy chief now). He introduced “Compassion” as a shelter theme and brought pride back to the building. There are other officers through the years who have been there for animals. This “police dog” is an example of officers with hearts.]
When officers realized the dog, a pal to the station but still standoffish, needed some medical treatment for an eye infection, DPD called DAS. The animal folks put out a trap and, according to the witnesses, “He walked into it in less than 2 minutes. He had no interested in the food or water, which he has plenty here, but appeared to be interested in the cage itself.”
Here’s the poignant story from Dallas Police Lt. Kimberly Stratman: 
“This dog is very important to us here at SC [South Central].  Many of the officers feed him every day.  Like Princess the Property Room Cat, officers look for our dog every day. He has a house, various bowls and toys.  He likes to follow us around and has grabbed things out of squad car trunks and made sure we saw him. Many of us feel like he has been trying to bond with us. He often has his left ear straight up and his right ear flopping down. 
“I do not know how he will be socially. He slept much of the day in the sun, chased papers flying in the wind, and escorted  officers from their cars to the building.  There were times he acted like he wanted to come inside, but would not actually come through the door.
“We are all praying that he gets a good bill of health from the vet and can be rescued out by a group that will give him what he needs. In our dreams he goes to a forever home that has some land he can roam with lots of sunny spots.
“We did not want to have him removed from us. In the past week he has barked at a couple of officers and scared them.  We cannot have officers afraid to come into our building and we cannot risk the dog being injured. Is he aggressive? Those of us familiar with dogs have not seen any sign of aggression.  But I have to make sure everyones interests are protected.  Several officers stood outside with me while we waited for the transport van to show up.  None were happy to see him leave. 
“From the best any one can tell he has been here about a year.
“He has a dog house, and someone keeps the bedding clean and dry.
“He has various water and food bowls.  He is feed multiple times a day by different officers.  He gets dog food, treats, fried chicken, tacos, breakfast sandwiches, burgers, but doesn’t like veggies even if covered in beef stew gravy.
“Officers from throughout the Department that have seen him while at the station come back and bring him toys. He likes to bury bones.  He chases blowing trash.  He also eats sprinkler systems. He has kept the coyotes away since he has been here. ...He will meet officers at their car and closely follow them, usually on the right side, until they enter the station. During bad weather he sits about 20 feet from the door and looks inside-breaking our hearts that he will not come in.
“Please help this pup find a forever home.”
She signs off with, when you consider her profession, two chilling words: “Stay safe.”
There you have it. Something to contemplate. A dog, some cops and some heart.  All that’s needed is a home.
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